Don't be a 'writer', be writing

One of my memories from elementary school is when we celebrated Red Ribbon week and each day was a different theme for us to remember the message of Red Ribbon week. One year, I remember one of these themed days was to dress what you wanted to be when you grew up. I remember waking up, putting on something that my mom picked out for me (she said it looked professional or something) and going to school. When my teacher and the other kids in my class asked me what I was dressed as, I said I was an author. It was one of those moments where I didn't know what to say (because I wasn't really dressed as anything specific) but once I answered the question, I knew it was true. I wanted to be an author.

Not much has changed since my elementary school days of wanting to be a writer. I distinctly remember the first story idea that was unrelated to school I tried to put down on paper. I was ten years old and wanted to write a story called "The Island" about these kids who got trapped on a desert island. I know, I was so creative: why else would you call a story about a desert island "The Island'? Thankfully, my writing has improved since then. As the years went by, I continued to read like a fiend and write unfinished stories that I was convinced would become bestsellers. Anyway, I while ago I came across a quote on Facebook from one of the writer pages I liked (#nerdalert). I don't remember who said the quote but the picture said "Don't be a writer. Be writing." This has really stuck with me. For the past year and a half or so, I've kept a journal. I've started journals in the past but never really kept up with it. This journal is more of a writing book than a journal honestly. My goal was when I started this journal in August 2012 to write in it as often as I could. Instead of making unrealistic rules I wouldn't keep, I decided my only rule for this journal was that I could write anything I wanted in it (my thoughts, lists, ideas, stories, words I liked)--as long as I was writing. 

See, what people don't realize is that it takes practice to become a writer. Bestsellers aren't written by people who only write now and then. They're written by people who read and write all the time and can't stop. Successful authors are people who can't go to school or the supermarket or a soccer game without some type of paper and pen because they need to have it on hand in case they get a great idea. Something I've learned over the past few years is that if somebody wants to be a successful writer, they have to write on a regular basis--even if they aren't currently working on a story. Last post I talked about how writers need to "live" in order to have something to write about, but the other side of that coin is that writers need to practice like any other artist in order to properly portray their idea/character/setting/opinion. If you can do both of those things, and you have an idea that you're passionate about, you can be a writer. Provided you have willpower and caffeinated drinks of course. 

Anyway, I guess the point of all this is that in order to be a good writer, you need to practice. That's part of the reason I like blog posts a lot--they allow me to practice my writing, and I know people will read it. Saying you're a writer is great and all, but you have to have something to back it up. The only way you'll improve at something is to practice, and this includes writing. And in the words of Mr. Patrick, "practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect". So don't just sit around and write junk all the time either. Get an idea you're excited about, and write that story! Try to make it the best you can, and you could end up with something great. Finally, on a slightly unrelated note, I encourage people (non-writers as well) to keep a journal. You don't have to write in it everyday, and you don't even have to write about your life. You can write about anything you want! Just write! There are so many benefits to keeping some type of notebook/journal: you can organize your thoughts/life, remember anything from what you need to get at the store to a beautiful quote, and you can really discover yourself. It may sound cheesy, but for me at least, sometimes I don't know how I feel/think about something until I write about it. You can learn a lot about yourself by writing. Plus, one day when you're 35 or something and your parents have a box full of your stuff in their attic and you happen to dig up your old journal, you'll have a portal to your past self. You can preserve what it's like to be a teenager and on the verge of college and your future. Even though I'm obviously not 35 yet, I've found some of my old, haphazardly-kept journals from when I was in elementary and middle school. It's a cool feeling reading your own writing and remembering what it was like to be you at that age. While your parents and siblings can tell you what you were like at a young age, nobody knows you better than yourself. With a journal you can glimpse at yourself through your own eyes. And that's pretty amazing. 

Maggie Stiefvater and thoughts about the life of a writer

Maggie Stiefvater is one of my favorite authors. For as long as I can remember, I've been that girl who always is reading something, so I've been read the works of many different authors. Maggie Stiefvater is definitely in my mental top 5 favorite authors.She's the author of Lament and Ballad (the first two installments in her Books of Faerie novels) Shiver, Linger, and Forever also known as the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, the Scorpio Races, and the Raven Boys and the Dream Thieves, the first two books in her 4 book series, the Raven Cycle. Besides being a bestselling novelist, Maggie also has written short stories, sharpies guitars, owns a race car, plays the bagpipes and harp, and owns 2 goats with silky hair that faint when they're shocked. She's kind of amazing.

Maggie Stiefvater is plain awesome. She's really cool because she interacts with her readers so much via Facebook, Instagram, etc. Maggie is inspiring not just because she's a brilliant author with brilliant ideas, but because she doesn't just write. The general public get's the idea that if you write books for a living, you're obsessed with grammar and have an English degree and only read books. But great writers don't just read. Great writers live. Good writers have other hobbies besides reading and writing, they travel, have relationships, do crazy things, go out and eat expensive caviar because one of their characters is a Russian billionaire, they race cars and try to live an exciting life. It's important for writers not always be writing, they need to go out and experience the world as well. How can you write about life if you're not really living? Maggie Stiefvater in particular is one of those writers who just has a cool life. She inspires me, and other readers to try something new and do what you love. Even if doing what you love or trying something crazy doesn't make you any money, it gives you something to talk about. And when you can talk about something, you can write about something. And when you can write about something, you can use it in a story. As a writer, imagination can only get you so far. To properly portray the life through words, you need to experience the world as well.

Besides living an awesome life though, Maggie's books are quite original. In one of my previous posts, I talked about how many of the YA books you see on shelves today all have the same general plot line. As a reader, this obviously gets frustrating. But Maggie seems to have the coolest ideas for her stories. Her books are about everything from werewolves that transform because of the temperature (not the moon), dead Welsh kings buried in Virginia, homicidal fairies, and man-eating  horses.I wish that I could have more ideas like this honestly. Maggie Stiefvater advises aspiring writers to write the book they wish to see on the shelf, the book that only you can write. We live in a world where people are constantly trying to fit in and be normal, but when it comes to writing, it's okay to be weird. It's okay to be a little crazy because chances are, somebody out there is just as crazy as you are. Nobody wants to read a book that is just like every other book on the shelf. In order to be published, one has to write something that is truly original, so write the story only you can write. There's nobody like you, so why should there be another story like your story?

P.S. I highly recommend watching this video. Maggie Stiefvater pretty much talks about her own views on what I just wrote about: how it's important to multi-task as a writer. Plus, there's a Camaro. Which makes everything better I suppose.

The Appeal of the Byronic Hero

Byronic heroes/heroines are quite similar to anti-heroes in that he/she lacks traditional heroic qualities, as well as appearing arrogant, cynical, moody, intelligent, mysterious, rebellious, educated, usually an outcast, jaded, perceptive, and emotionally conflicted to name a few characteristics. More and more in modern society we are seeing Byronic heroes/heroines as the protagonist of a story. The reason Byronic heroes are so appealing is that they have traits that many people can identify with easily. Often, people tend to see negative qualities in themselves. It's easier for people to see the negative traits they have (either physical traits or personality traits) rather than the positive. Byronic heroes are very self-critical and they recognize their faults, so it is easy for people to identify with that self-critical feeling.Byronic heroes are characters who aren't perfect, but they do have many appealing qualities as well. This allows audience members to not only connect with them, but to want to be like them as well. Byronic heroes are smart, they're often good looking and educated, and we want to emulate them. Audiences can relate to Byronic heroes with their roles as outcasts as well, since almost everybody has felt like they don't belong or fit in at one point or another.

Elsa from Disney's Frozen

Two great example of Byronic heroines in modern storytelling are the characters Elphaba from the musical and book Wicked, and Elsa from the new Disney movie Frozen. Both Elphaba and Elsa struggle with their roles in society. Elphaba is a young woman who has been an outcast for her entire life due to her green skin, and this isolation is magnified when she realizes she has magical powers. Elphaba is awkward, bossy, green, introverted, blunt, and can even be a little mean at times. Yet audience members around the world absolutely love her and relate to her so much even though she's the wicked witch of the west. The trick to a good Byronic hero is giving them enough good qualities to distinguish them from a villain/antagonist. Besides these seemingly negative qualities, Elphaba has many positive qualities as well. She's smart, courageous, brave, unusually beautiful, kind and gentle, passionate, and stands up for what she believes in. Elsa from Frozen is another great example of a Byronic heroine. She becomes an outcast in her own kingdom for being different and having powers to control ice and snow. Elsa is quiet, introverted, can come off cold, and more, but audiences around the world have fallen in love with her movie because of how much she loves her sister and nearly ruined her life to protect her sister and the people in her kingdom. Stories no longer revolve around the perfect hero anymore, instead more and more Byronic heroes are cropping up in stories because of their reliability to a world full of insecurity. Byronic heroes give us hope that one day, people will learn to love the awkward, flawed outcasts we see in ourselves.

P.S. Just for fun, here are the anthems sung by these two awesome Byronic heroes